Owning a rowhouse in one of Jersey City’s historic districts means the street front of your building is part of something larger. When the roof needs work, that can add a step: before changing roofing material or anything visible from the street, ask the city. This article explains which parts of a row roof are visible, why the question comes up, and how to plan the work so it goes smoothly.
Roofer Jersey City is an independent referral service, not a roofing company, and it does not speak for the city. When you call or send the form, an independent local roofer can contact you about your job; that roofer gives any quote and does any work.
Where the districts are
Downtown Jersey City grew around three squares: Paulus Hook, Hamilton and Van Vorst. Van Vorst Park is lined with ornate brick and brownstone rowhouses from the late 1800s, and much of it is in the Van Vorst Park Historic District. Paulus Hook is a historic district too, and a report on the city’s Historic Preservation Commission notes that buildings in the Paulus Hook Historic District need the commission’s approval for changes.
Whether your own building is inside a district, and what that means for your job, is a question for the city. If you are not sure, ask before you plan anything visible.
What is visible on a row roof
On a typical brownstone or brick row, the flat roof itself is hidden behind the parapets. What people on the street see is the top of the facade:
- The cornice, with its brackets, moldings and color
- The front edge of the roof and any flashing that shows
- Chimneys that rise above the parapet line
- Anything new that would rise above the parapet: a bulkhead, railings, equipment or a deck
- On a pitched roof, the slope itself and its material, such as slate
Those are the parts to raise with the city before changing them. A repair hidden behind the parapet raises different questions from a new cornice or a change in roofing material on a visible slope, but asking settles it either way.
Two separate questions
Roof work in a historic district can involve two questions that are easy to mix up. One is the construction permit: under the New Jersey code, re-covering the roof of a detached one- or two-family house is ordinary maintenance, while for an attached rowhouse, a multi-family building or structural work you ask the Jersey City construction code office whether a permit is needed. The other is the historic district question about visible changes. Ask both. The Jersey City roofing permit guide covers the first.
Planning the work
- Photograph the front of the building, the cornice and anything visible on the roof before work is planned
- Ask the roofer to describe exactly what changes and what stays as it is, in writing
- Note any part where the material, shape or color would change
- Ask the city about those parts before work starts, and keep a record of what you were told
- Make sure the written contract matches what the city said
Ask early. Raising the question at the first visit, before you choose a material, is easier than changing course after the old roof is off.
Repairs that match what is there
Much roof work on an old row is repair rather than change: resealing the cornice top, replacing worn flashing, repointing a parapet, fixing a few slates. Ask the roofer whether the repair will look the same from the street once it is done, in material, shape and color. If the answer is yes, say so when you ask the city, with photos of the existing detail. If the answer is no, or the roofer suggests a different material because the original is hard to match, that is exactly the point to raise with the city before any work starts. Keep the photos and notes with your contract.
Choosing a roofer for a historic row
Ask the roofer whether they work on cornices, slate or other older details, or whether they bring in a specialist for them. Ask how they would match what is there. And run the New Jersey checks: registration with the Division of Consumer Affairs, a written contract for any job of $500 or more, the copy of the liability insurance policy, and the three business days to cancel. The page on roofing contractors in Jersey City NJ has the checklist.
The roof behind the parapet
Most of the work on a historic row is still ordinary roof work: the flat roof, the parapet flashing, the coping, the drains and scuppers. The brownstone roof repair page and the article on parapet wall leaks cover those parts. If you are weighing a full new roof, read roof replacement in Jersey City first.
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